WORLD CRISIS AND WORLD LEADERSHIP 233
to
be moved to Kimberley and the sorting of diamonds was also to be
centralized there. A consulting engineer's department was to be set up
and
attached
to this consulting engineer's department will be a comprehensive
geological section whose functions will be to keep in touch with future
diamond discoveries and occurrences, not only in the Union, but in
other parts of the world. This will protect the trade against surprises
in the future. ... It was decided after careful consideration that the
consulting engineer's department would be best situated in
Johannesburg. . . .
The
first consulting engineer was to be Mr. H. T. Dickinson, formerly the
assistant general manager of De Beers in charge of mining operations.
♦ IV ♦
The
agreement in principle between the Union Government, the producers and
the Syndicate arrived at in March 1930 still left many points
unsettled. Negotiations had to be conducted, partly with the Mines
Department, partly with the Advisory Committee, which was dominated by
Ross Frames, partly with the Minister in London. From the standpoint of
the industry one of the difficulties—all technical details apart—was
the uncertainty concerning the ultimate intentions of the Government as
regards the degree of control which it desired to establish over the
industry as a whole; it was not certain whether the Government would
not establish a Diamond Control Board. As late as 3 September 1930,
Ernest Oppenheimer was informed by cable that
at interview with Secretary Mines ...
he stated confidentially he had been instructed to draft scheme for
putting Board of Control into operation. . . . As result of
conversation with P. Ross Frames and Beyers it is obvious they are
strongly attracted by idea of permanent board but fear position which
would be created by Syndicate stock. . . .
Undoubtedly,
the Government had power to set up such a body, by virtue of the
provisions of the Diamond Control Act (No. 39) of 1925; just as
paragraph 17 of the same Act had made sales agreements invalid unless
approved of by the Minister. On the alternative possibility, i.e. of
Government representation on the board of the Diamond Corporation,
Ernest Oppenheimer personally was prepared to make concessions: the
proposal for direct Government representation was, however,
